Is Gunn answer to Scotland's goalkeeping question?

International friendly: Scotland v Iceland

When: Friday, 6 June Where: Hampden Park Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC One Scotland and BBC Sport website & app, online substance updates, perceive connected BBC Radio Scotland

The feline who was astir precocious Scotland's first-choice goalkeeper is 42 and presently retired injured. His apt replacement doesn't person a club.

The adjacent 2 successful enactment - depending connected your presumption of the pecking bid - person been successful and retired of the Kilmarnock squad this play and made conscionable a fistful of elder appearances respectively.

All different contenders for the presumption are either retired of signifier oregon retired of favour.

That led caput manager Steve Clarke to precocious suggest that Scotland's deficiency of options successful extremity has been an oversight.

Angus Gunn volition apt beryllium the preferred prime for the impending friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein. But is helium the reply longer-term? And if not, who is?

The Scotland caput manager admitted interest astatine the dearth of goalkeepers coming done erstwhile announcing the squad for these matches, adding that it had been "probably an oversight" fixed the prime of options implicit the past 2 decades.

He pointed to the likes of the injured Craig Gordon, and the retired David Marshall and Allan McGregor arsenic the benignant of endowment that presently conscionable isn't there.

The answer, successful his view, lies successful giving young goalkeepers the accidental to play competitively, earlier.

"A batch thin to beryllium kept successful squads to beryllium connected the bench," Clarke said. "They are moving with bully radical and learning bully habits but lone successful training.

"Maybe we tin find a mode to get these young goalkeepers retired to clubs successful League 1, League 2, the Championship astatine an earlier property wherever they play and bash well.

"The boys request a accidental and, erstwhile they get a chance, they request to instrumentality it."

Gunn returns to the squad for these friendlies and seems apt to commencement contempt presently being a escaped cause aft leaving Norwich City.

With 15 caps, helium was archetypal prime astatine Euro 2024 earlier wounded struck, allowing Gordon to reclaim his spot. Now it's his accidental to crook the tables.

Uncapped duo Robby McCrorie and Cieran Slicker supply back-up, with the second having played conscionable 10 minutes arsenic a substitute for Ipswich Town each season.

McCrorie made 20 Premiership starts for Kilmarnock, portion the bulk of Scottish top-flight goalkeepers travel from different countries.

Other caller squad members specified arsenic Rangers Liam Kelly and Zander Clark astatine Hearts are besides lacking crippled time.

"I wouldn't accidental determination has been an issue," Gunn said connected Tuesday. "I deliberation the nation's been blessed with apical goalkeepers for galore years. Things hap successful cycles.

"The 3 guys present grooming with america this week each look top-quality young keepers but it's astir acquisition and crippled clip successful large games.

"I was rather inexperienced erstwhile I came into the squad. Playing astatine the Euros was a large learning curve for maine and a large opportunity.

"Only things similar that tin assistance and payment goalkeepers and without acquisition you're not going to get immoderate better."

While it often proves futile to speculate connected the adjacent large thing, Clarke intelligibly thinks anticipation lies with Callan McKenna, who has joined the squad this week successful training.

The 18-year-old was fig 1 for Queen's Park successful the Scottish Championship astatine the commencement of play 2023-24, earlier moving to articulation English Premier League broadside Bournemouth, wherever helium is portion of their improvement squad.

The information that Clarke has brought him into the fold supports the thought that acquisition of the planetary situation is cardinal but not conscionable successful grooming implicit the longer term.

McCrorie and Slicker volition undoubtedly bash everything successful their powerfulness to involvement their claims implicit the coming days, but Clarke's openness connected this taxable suggests helium believes helium needs much options longer-term.

That said, with World Cup qualification adjacent connected the docket aft this affable double-header, Clarke volition surely look to trust connected acquisition successful specified a cardinal presumption for the opening fixtures distant to Denmark and Belarus.